A groan leaves me as soon as I wake up. Light brown eyes are the first thing I see, letting me know it's Rory who was pleading for me to wake up. His face is directly over mine and he jumps back in surprise, not expecting me to wake up so suddenly. Pressing a hand to his chest, he breathes out. Rory reaches out and grabs me, hauling me into his body.

He nuzzles into my neck, his cheek pressed against my shoulder. I can't imagine that it feels nice, since my shoulder blades have started poking out from the lack of nourishment I've been getting. He breathes me in, embarrassing me slightly because even though I showered earlier, it definitely wasn't long enough to wash away all of the grime from a month of solitude. But I let him, knowing both of us need this.

"You really scared us," Rory whispers, breaking the silence that has casted upon us. "We weren't sure if you were okay or not. You um... you had a panic attack."

"I'm sorry," I tell him, sighing. That most definitely wasn't my intention. All this extra stress isn't needed. "Um, where's Alexei?"

"Oh." Rory pulls away and begins looking around. "She went to get supplies or something like that. Food maybe?"

I furrow my eyebrows and glance around. We're no longer outside on the cliff. I wish I hadn't panicked like that because I think I would've really enjoyed the sound of the ocean beneath us. Now we're in a cabin, I think. The walls are a light stained wood. The room we're in has a slanted sunroof. There are no light fixtures, so I assume the only light will come from the sun. But there are two lamps conveniently next to the bed. Both are on and illuminating the space. The nightstands beneath the lamps are rustic with both being wooden and worn looking. They match the rest of the room, wood embellishments all around like the dresser across from the bed.

Speaking of the bed, it's soft and plush beneath me. It's like I'm laying on a pallet of soft sheep or something equally as soft. The bedspread is a muted slate color, the pillow cases the same to match. Beneath that, the sheets are just plain white. It's all nice, really, but I can't help wondering whose place this is.

"Rory? Whose cabin is this?" I question, still surveying the room. There's not much else to see around other than two wooden doors and a sliding glass door that looks like it leads to a balcony. "We didn't steal anyone's house, right? Please tell me we didn't."

Rory shakes his head and I can see the smile he's trying to fight off. "No, doll, I promise. Um, Alexei said it's hers, but I don't really know. She kind of picked us up and we were here."

I furrow my eyebrows and pull completely away from him. Standing from the bed, I stretch my body, listening as my bones crack and groan. My head starts to hurt slightly from the exertion of that stretch, but I don't let that deter me. I begin to really search around, first starting with the other doors. The first one I open happens to be a walk-in closet stocked fully with clothes.

Walking in, I see most are actually gowns which surprises me. Cabins are usually used as vacation homes, so why are there gowns in the closet rather than lounging clothes? Never mind that though. As I turn, I notice Rory coming to stand and lean against the door frame.

"We both smell really bad, Rory," I mumble as I start looking through the drawers. "So, I think we should shower since we're waiting for Alexei. Did she say she was going far or anything?"

With a glance at him, I see Rory shaking his head. It gives me time to examine how long his hair has gotten. His bangs now hang down in his face slightly, shielding his eyebrows and just a bit of his eyes. It's been parted to not block his sight completely. I kind of enjoy it, really. He looks a bit like a surfer boy and it makes him look cute and boyish.

"No, she just said that we needed stuff like food, then she left." He shrugs, tilting his head to the side. "I think she may have really needed the air honestly."

"Okay," I mutter as I finally find some pajamas. Pulling out two pairs of sweats and two t-shirts, I throw one of each to Rory. "Let's go shower, please."

* * *

After our shower, we walk out into an empty room. A pang is felt on my scarred soles. Briefly, I did notice scars where my claw marks used to be. Naively, I've been choosing to ignore all of the impossible questions regarding my body. I sigh, my heart aching with it. Alexei is also worrying me now. Rory and I had to have been showering for at least an hour to wash all the grime away and she still isn't back.

"Stop worrying." Rory comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. It reminds me that both of us have become so damn skinny over this month. "She'll be fine."

Leaning back into Rory, I settle against him, relishing his warmth. "We have a lot to talk about, Rory. I'm afraid that some of this can't wait. And how are you even standing right now?"

It's been on my mind for a bit; how is Rory up and moving? Ameri's bite really did a number on him last I checked, so his recovery time is astonishing to me. Naturally, werewolves are able to recover fast, but that didn't seem like something that's easy to recover from. Though to be completely honest, I have no idea how a vampire bite affects us wolves. It must not be too bad since Rory appears fine, good even.

"I," he pauses and I can practically feel his furrowed eyebrows and pursed lips. "I don't know actually. I just feel fine, you know? Fine, but I can't exactly explain why..."

"That's odd... you don't find that odd, Rory?" I ask him, pulling away and turning around. My eyes trail to his neck, searching for the twin puncture marks. Seeing nothing, I trek it down to wolf healing, but deep down, I know it's more than that. Especially since his body isn't up to par to heal quickly. "Listen, everything's been really weird lately, yeah? I don't know what's happening anymore, but when I passed out, I woke up somewhere and—"

The door bursts open, effectively cutting me off. I nearly break my neck by how fast I turn my head in that direction. Alexei comes bursting through, her confident aura filling the room. Her black hair is in its normal ponytail having been reconstructed more neatly. She's also changed clothes from her uniform. Instead, her form now adorns a pair of tight, black pants and a tight turtle-neck to match. Her curves are pronounced from her clothes, making her womanly figure more noticeable. She's truly beautiful, even with her green eyes glancing frantically around.

When she sees us, Alexei rushes over. My face becomes grasped in her hands quite quickly. Her eyes shift from side to side as she watches me. Her gaze then moves to Rory who's still standing behind me and I see the relief on her body.

"We need to go." Alexei grabs my hands, pulling me lightly. "Now."

"What's going on?" Rory questions, his hands coming up to grab my shoulders. If this situation didn't seem so dire, I'd be weakened in the knees from both of my mate's touches. "We just got here."

"Yeah." Alexei nods as she lets go of me. She marches to the bed and reaches down and under, pulling out a suitcase. "Now we need to leave."